Gender And Racial Discrimination

Gender and racial discrimination against women of color is, and has been, an ongoing concern since the day a woman of color received her first ever paycheck; unfortunately, it is so deeply rooted within the stitchings of our social fabric that it just does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Aside from the common understanding that “women of all races and ethnicities working full-time,” earning only “78 percent of what men earn” (Fisher 2015), the discrepancy seen within wages of women of color versus white, non-hispanic men is even more horrendous. A study done by the American Association of University Women in September of 2014 revealed the approximate wage gap that falls within the wages of women of various races and ethnicities, and white males. The average African-American woman would make about 64 percent of that of a white man’s wage, and even more so, an average Hispanic or Latino woman makes merely 54 percent (Fisher 2015). These two ethnicities are the two most discriminated, in that they suffer the consequences of racism, sexism, and various other institutions, not only the professional world, but also in the oppressive social environments they live in. Numerous elements play as factors in the justification of …show more content…
Christine Williams (1992) coined the term “glass escalator” to describe this phenomenon. She states that “many men that perceived their token status as males in predominantly-female occupations” were thought to have the advantage in the hiring process. The qualifications and skills that a women of color presents to its employer is often times suppressed by irrational discrimination, in that there is no true justification as to why the behavior seems to be the way it is. This appears to be the case because of the reinforced biases that are embedded within the culture we live